Duneland School Corp. officials are taking steps to stem the damage from a computer hack that involved personal employee data in October.
The district alerted employees Dec. 23 of the Oct. 27 hack that involved Social Security numbers, birth dates, driver’s license numbers and employment information, all related to the district’s self-insurance plan.
The hack involved current and former employees, along with beneficiaries and dependents, the notice stated.
An investigation determined an unauthorized person obtained access to Duneland’s computer systems between Oct. 21 and Oct. 27. “After further investigation, we discovered that certain files may have been acquired by the unauthorized person.”
The district contacted police and hired a cybersecurity firm to address the incident and restore operations.
“We also implemented additional safeguards and technical security measures, including multi-factor authentication for all user accounts, to further protect the data we maintain,” the notice said.
To our knowledge, no Duneland School Corporation (DSC) employees have experienced any type of account breach since the issue was uncovered.
The DSC does carry cybersecurity coverage.
Duneland Assistant Superintendent Robert McDermott said, “The district advised employees to remain alert for signs of unauthorized activity within their accounts by reviewing statements related to their health insurance. If they see unauthorized charges, they were told to contact the provider.”
The district also provided free enrollment in an identity monitoring service.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
